Preparing your Materials

Some generalities

• ​​​The bottom line: Departments are looking to hire candidates who tackle significant problems, who do so in interesting new ways, and whose work will make impact on their field and beyond.
• Overall, you need to demonstrate that, given your training, you are uniquely positioned to accomplish the ambitious and innovative objectives you have set for yourself--Show this, don't say it!
• Use subtitles, which will help the reader more effectively follow the structure of your statement.
• In the Sciences, use a couple of illustrations (graphs, tables, pictures, etc.). An image is worth a thousand words.
   
• Open big. For example, my work seeks to find a cure for diabetes; I am developing a solution to global warming; I am challenging the myth of American exceptionalism
  --> Whatever it is, you need to show that your work will advance your field. Go big!
• Finally, language: Avoid the following words:

"Study," as you're no longer a student--Use "investigate."
"Understand," as your understanding of a problem helps no one but you. Use the word in the collective sense, as in "increase our understanding" or better yet, use the word "elucidate" (meaning "bringing light to"), which helps humanity.
"Explore." Sounds aimless and not verifiable. Use "examine" or "investigate."

Search committee members are extraordinarily busy, so you must structure your statement strategically

• Abstract: 10-15 lines at most. In a nutshell, what you work on and your plans for the next ten years in terms of the impact you hope to make on your field.
• Ph.D. work/background. What you worked on and what your work showed, demonstrated, elucidated, etc. Be very direct and to the point. Throw in anything the reader (who won’t be a specialist) will need to understand what you do.
• Current postdoctoral research. Again, what you work on and what you hope to achieve. If needed, use a numbered list or bullet points. If your postdoctoral research is an extension of your Ph.D. research, use the subtitle "Research to Date."
• Future Directions. I) What you hope to achieve over the next ten years; II) What you hope to achieve over the next 4-7 years; III) What you’ll tackle from the get-go(low-hanging fruits). Obviously, these are not sequential, but parallel. This section should be about 50-60% of the overall 3-5 page statement. 
  
  Once you're done, share your research statement with your faculty advisor and other colleagues for critical feedback.

The Teaching Statement

Before you begin writing your statement, you need to think about what you want students to learn in your courses--not knowledge, but skills and abilities. One way to think about this is what do you want students to remember, if anything, five years after they've taken your courses? (Hint: it's not knowledge available in any textbook or website). Also, keep in mind that the teaching statement is not about you, the instructor (how you prepare, what you like/don't like, etc.), but about the students. What will they learn in your courses?

In general, avoid generalities and platitudes, for example that you were inspired to pursue a career in academia by a teacher you had 20 years ago--all these sound trite. Use specific examples. If possible, describe things you have either done in the classroom or seen another faculty do.

Unless you're applying to primarily undergraduate teaching institutions, your statement should not be longer than one page. For efficiency purposes and because this organization directly provides the specific information sought by search committees, one way to organize the page is to have three sections, with subtitles:

Teaching Experience & Interests (Paragraph 1: I have taught, and my responsibilities included...; Paragraph 2: I am prepared to teach both broad survey courses and more advanced courses in my area of expertise).

Pedagogical Objectives & Strategies. This is basically how you think about your job as an instructor. What skills do you want your students to acquire? You may find ideas in some of the links provided by the Bok Center. You could also consider this review of books on pedagogy. Think about how you plan to foster "a learning environment in which students are encouraged to ask questions and share their ideas," as recommended in FAS job ads.

Mentoring  (optional): Describe your experience mentoring students (no need to mention their names). How do you see your role as a mentor of graduate students/postdocs?

Recommended reading:

• Check out this interesting take on the Teaching Statement from a fellow Harvard postdoc--Good food for thought!
• "Structure Matters: 21 Teaching Strategies to Promote Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity." CEB Life Sci Educ. 2013 Fall; 12(3): 322-331.
• "Teaching the Process of Science: Faculty Perceptions and an Effective Methodology," CBE Life Sci Educ. 2010 Winter; 9(4): 524–535.

Video Recordings

Marty Samuels, Active Learning and Backward Design.

Faculty ads for the 2025-26 season will no doubt be updated to reflect the evolution of the landscape since January 2025.

The overall objective of statements of this nature, whatever they're called, it to hear how you plan to foster a welcoming and supportive environment in both your classroom and, if applicable, in your lab that will enable all students to thrive.

I would recommend organizing your statement, which should be no longer than one page, in three parts, that will address what committee members are looking for.

• Personal experience (this is important, as it gives you the opportunity to explain what motivates your commitment to fostering a supportive and welcoming classroom/lab environment).
• Contributions to date; (for example, on committees or as Teaching Assistant); and
• Faculty Action Plan.

This set of questions/prompts, kindly compiled and shared by Alexis Stokes, will help you to develop your statement. Another useful document is this one, from the Berkeley Office for Faculty Equity & Welfare, which includes a rubric that search committees use for assessing candidate contributions to these topics.

Some inspiring words by Dean Hoekstra: "We know that teaching and learning in an environment rich with varied perspectives and life experiences drives our academic excellence and differentiates the Harvard College experience. In the past year, I met with small groups of faculty who shared myriad ways that diverse perspectives enhance our classrooms. I heard inspiring stories of how student learning was enriched when multiple perspectives were voiced, and how students’ unique viewpoints improve the fabric of our teaching each year. Research shows that diverse teams are more innovative, and I see every day the important roles they play in scientific discovery in our laboratories."

The Bok Center offers excellent advice on inclusive teaching, which you should check out.

Some more advice and thoughts from what used to be called the "Diversity Statement."

• Actionable Steps to Address Anti-Black Racism in Academia
• The effective diversity statement. Insidehighered.
• The Diversity Statement (Arizona)
• Guidelines for applicants (Berkeley)
• Developing and Writing a Diversity Statement (Vanderbilt)

This page provides additional resources.